Enter and view: Knightsbridge Lodge

Healthwatch Gloucestershire undertook an enter and view visit to Knightsbridge Lodge Care Home in November 2016. 

The home was a friendly, caring, clean and well-maintained environment. The Authorised Representatives observed good interaction between staff, residents, and also family members 

 The garden was well presented and cared for and a further paved area at the back of the home was being developed. This area is open to cars driving to the car park and leaves access open to the main road 

Good practice was noted in several areas, such as infection control, the ‘Policy of the Week’ initiative, and the activities on offer to residents and there were good relationship with GPs, District Nurse and other healthcare professionals 

Staffing levels observed at the weekend, combined with the layout of the building, meant that frailer residents could not easily be observed. The Authorised Representatives had particular concerns over monitoring of the residents with more complex needs if they are in rooms away from the busier areas of the home. It is understood though that Knightsbridge Lodge would not want to move residents from rooms they had made their own over the years. 

There were several rounds of drinks offered to the residents during the course of each day, and jugs of drinks were also available in the rooms for residents to help themselves. However, carers were not observed encouraging or reminding residents to take a drink and it was unclear whether the carers had an awareness of the hydration levels of the residents. 

Staff on duty during the visit were aware of the need for further training in caring for people with dementia and the home environment was not dementia friendly. However, one-to-one sessions were held with residents to get to know them better and the senior carer was keen to start using the ‘This is Me’ booklet. No formal End of Life Care training had been received even though staff did support residents that required End of Life Care.

 An unsupervised apprentice carer was observed carrying out personal care and stated that she carried out End of Life Care on residents. 

The Authorised Representatives observed a number of out of date training certificates on display, including three Manual Handling Certificates, six Food Safety Awareness training level 2 certificates, and a Healthier Food and Special Diet certification from 2008 

The lunch choices on the day of the visit appeared to be limited since both main course options were beef dishes, and the dessert choices were either fruit crumble or fruit and ice cream.

 The Authorised Representatives observed that the laundry door was open even though no member of staff was present which is a potential hazard for vulnerable residents. The laundry was also used for hairdressing